USC Law School Small Business Clinic, Los Angeles, CA (May 2014 – May 2015)

What practice area will you be specializing in after graduation? I hope to practice corporate transactional law after graduation. I am particularly interested in Mergers & Acquisitions and finance work.

Why did you choose to attend law school? I’ve always been interested in going to law school, but I wasn’t certain that I would go until my junior year of undergrad. I took a Business Law course for my major and it was the most interesting thing I had studied thus far. It challenged me in all of the right ways and I knew that I wouldn’t be happy doing any thing else. Luckily, I think I was right!

What was your favorite law school class? I took a class called Race and Gender in the Law. It was my favorite because of (1) the style – it was heavily discussion-based and taught as a three-week intensive and (2) the subject matter – we talked about important social issues and the class gave me a platform to talk about things that are difficult to talk about in every day life. The class was not particularly related to what I want to do professionally. However, I found that it was an incredibly important one because it provided a forum for students to challenge themselves and their viewpoints.

Which attorney do you most admire? Definitely Notorious R.B.G. (Ruth Bader Ginsberg for those of you who have yet to learn.) Her work as a constitutional attorney and as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States has been inspiring and historical to say the least. She was at the forefront of obtaining equal rights for women and I think her voice still makes a huge impact even though she is only one of nine.

What have you enjoyed most about law school? Being at USC. Law school is challenging but USC makes it as easy as it can possibly be. I don’t mean that it is academically easy; I mean that the school creates a very collegial and friendly environment. (Not to mention, being a Trojan is pretty awesome – I mean, who doesn’t love USC football?) Of course I love the subject matter, but I mostly enjoyed doing what I love with people I love, in a comforting place.

What word best describes your professional brand? I think my professional brand would be “versatile.” I consider myself a flexible person and I believe I have the ability to take on many roles.

If you were debt free, how would you spend your first paycheck after landing your first law job? I spent a good portion of my first (summer) paycheck from Skadden on a pair of shoes I had been dying for!

“I knew I wanted to go to law school when…I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life.”

“If I didn’t go to law school, I would be…working to save tigers across the world. (They’re endangered you know.) Yes, it’s a very different career path.”

Which academic or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of landing my job at Skadden. Finding a job after graduation (whether it is undergrad, law school, business school, etc.) can be tough and kind of scary. Getting an offer from Skadden made me very proud of the choices that I have made throughout my life and it is definitely validating!

Fun fact about yourself: I am arachnaphobic. Like really arachnaphobic. I ’ve been to hypno-therapy. Crazy, I know. But I swear it works!

Favorite book: I like a lot of books, but if I had to pick right now: Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Favorite movie:The Princess Bride (I can’t watch it enough)

What are your hobbies? I like to travel (near and far), bake, and eat!

What made Tania such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2016?

“Tania is an exceptional student. Her work is always well thought out and of the highest caliber, yet she is never too busy to take on another project or help a fellow student who is struggling to understand the material. Whether in a class or working on a matter for a Small Business Clinic (“SBC”) client, Tania has an uncanny ability to understand the issues at hand at a level of depth that is uncommon for most junior attorneys, let alone law students. During her time in the SBC, Tania worked on several projects that ranged from helping a young woman launch a marketing consulting business to helping form and organize a nonprofit that provided soccer programs to support underprivileged youth in downtown Los Angeles. In all of her projects, Tania was devoted to her clients and always went the extra mile to make sure that the clients’ needs were met and that each client understood the issues and the work being done for them. Tania has contributed in so many ways to her class and to the Law School; whether it is through her academic achievements, her work in the SBC, her leadership on the Law Review or her engagement with, and support of, her fellow classmates, Tania is someone of whom USC Law School can be proud and who truly embodies the best and the brightest of the Class of 2016.”

Michael A. Chasalow Director, Small Business Clinic Clinical Professor USC Gould School of Law